Wellthos Health and Fitness box June 2018 – Unboxing and Product Reviews

Wellthos is a health and fitness box and is a great way to keep yourself motivated to eat healthy and be fit.

This month’s Wellthos box was, as always, the typical branded cardboard box with no special design but this time the box also had some writing inside it which said “Health food & fitness products curated by experts especially for you”. This is essentially what the Wellthos box is all about  Wellthos also comes with a monthly little booklet that explains a little bit about each product contained but also has some recipe ideas, using products from the box, and some light workouts.

June’s Wellthos box contained 10 health and fitness products of which 8 were eatable, 1 was a beauty type item and 1 a fitness tool.

PS. You can click on the smaller images to see them larger if you want to read out ingredients, nutritional information etc.

Bear in mind that these are my personal opinions and health, fitness and taste can be very personal things as we all have different taste and biological builds. What worked for me might not work for you and vice versa. If you tried any of these products please leave your comments below!

 

Physioroom Exercise Resistance Tube

This resistance tube looks and is very simple but it can be of great help when integrated in a workout.

The nice thing about resistance bands is that they don’t require anything special. You can do your normal exercise routine and just make it harder by adding the extra resistance.

The Wellthos monthly leaflet came with a workout that includes a resistance band but you an easily find many examples online or use logic and a bit of imagination.

This resistance tube is plastic and has handles which you can either hold in your hands, put through your legs or attach somewhere in the gym or your house. It is a very versatile and effective tool for it’s price and is an easy and light item to travel with.

You can buy a pack of 3 (they come in different colours too) for £9.34 from the brand’s website. SCORE = 8/10

 

Sweetpea Pantry Playful Pizza Dough Mix

Well who doesn’t love a good hearty pizza every now and again. Making this food item healthier is definitely a win!

This dough mix is very easy to make. All you need to do is add 150mL of lukewarm water and 2 table spoons of olive oil and then work them in. It takes about 15 minutes of prep, 1 hour of resting time to rise and 10 minutes to cook.

This package makes two large bases which taste very nice. This product has even won a great taste award in 2014.

This wholemeal mix contains stone ground strong wholemeal flour, strong white flour, chia seeds (4%), flaxseed (2%), yeast, oregano and salt.

For a 28g slice made as per instructions (without toppings) you will get 78kcals, 1.7g fat of which 0.42g where saturates, 10.8g of carbohydrates of which 0.29g are sugars, 1.5g of fiber, 8.2g of protein and 0.21g of salt.

It’s a lovely healthier choice for a pizza dough and the stats are great. Even the packaging looks “healthy”. One pack will cost you £2.75 from Ocado which is definitely more expensive than making dough yourself but also faster and healthier than normal dough. SCORE = 8/10

 

Optiat Pick Me Up Lemongrass Lifter Coffee Scrub

This coffee and lemongrass scrub is meant to refresh you after a sweaty workout.

You are meant to apply it on damp skin in circles and if you wish you can leave it on for a few minutes before you rinse.

It smells nice and it also felt nice on the skin. The ingredients are good but it contains a couple of known irritants, so try it out at the back of your hand first, especially if you have sensitive skin.

It was a good scrub but funnily enough the brand was a little confusing to me as it seems to have the same logo as the Fit-Box, or the other way round.

Nevertheless, this was a sample satchel but the full size product which comes in a tube retails for £9.99 from the brand’s website. SCORE = 8/10

 

The Organic Protein Co. Organic Whey Protein

This whey protein tastes good and is made from organic grass fed cow’s milk. It is organic certified, gluten free and suitable for vegetarians. It contains raw cacaco and maca.

It has a chocolate taste and like with any protein powder, it dissolves better in water than in milk, but tastes better in milk.

A 25g serving (made with water) will provide you with 96kcals, 2.05g of fat of which 1.21 are saturates, 3.72g of carbohydrates of which 1.35g are sugars, 1.02g of fiber, 15.17g of protein, 352.5mg of salt, 382.5mg of calcium and 222.25mg of phosphorous.

The protein content is low and, depending on your fitness and nutrition plan, you might need to take in two servings to achieve a good amount of protein.

If you buy a 400g satchel (=16 or 8 servings depending on the amount of protein needed) from the brand’s website it will cost you £21.24 for 3, £18.74 for 5 or £17.49 for 10 each. This means that for 1kg of this whey protein you would pay, using the cheapest option, £43.73 which is a very expensive price. The high price tag probably comes from the “organic” label and the fact that organic farming is often more expensive to upkeep.

There is no solid scientific evidence to strongly suggest that organic food is better than conventional (science based article coming soon) and for this reason I don’t think that this whey is worth it’s money.  SCORE = 8/10.

 

Erbology Organic Tkemali Crackers

These crackers are gluten free, raw, organic and vegan. They can be enjoyed plain, with a topping, a salad, soup or dips.

They have a sour subtle taste and although they are crackers, they are not dry or too hard to eat.

They are made of beetroot, 20% tkemali which contains dry plums, coriander, lemon juice, onions, cayenne pepper, dill and garlic. They also contain sprouted buckwheat, almonds, sunflower seeds, linseeds and sea salt.

One 25g cracker will provide you with 51kcals, 7.3g of fat of which 2.4g are saturates, 3.3g of carbohydrates of which 1.3g are sugars, 2.3g of protein and 0.1g of salt.

This 50g box contained 2 crackers and is fully recyclable. It looks like a healthy cracker box but the branding is minimal.

You can buy 12 packs of 50g for £19.99 from the brand’s website. This brings the price down to £0.83 per cracker which is definitely not cheap, but they are a nice healthy option. The crackers are also larger than most out there. SCORE = 8/10

 

 

Boundless Activated Nuts & Seeds

Activated is a term I’ve seen a couple of times now on “healthy” food items and it still puzzles me as a scientist. What the brand is trying to say here is that the seeds are soaked in water before baking which, according to the brand, removes their bitter taste and protective enzymes leading to better digestion. The term activated is definitely a marketing play, or at the very least, does not have the same meaning as in science, it sounds a lot more fancy than it is. Soaking the nuts in water prior to baking might be beneficial taste-wise however, it is generally not a good idea to remove enzymes or other nutrients from food. This might be case specific though and those enzyme might indeed cause indigestion. Who knows.

Nevertheless, these seeds are meant to be eaten as a snack or used as a topping on foods like salads. They are dry but taste like orange, ginger and maple with more emphasis on ginger and maple, the orange taste is almost not there.

This seed mix tastes nice and would work really well in salads but also if you fine plain nuts and seeds too boring to eat on their own.

The satchel is made of good quality plastic but the design looks very strange for a seed and nut mix. Unfortunately, the satchel is not resealable which means that you’d have to use it all in one go or seal differently.

This snack contains Pecan nuts, Almonds, Pumpkin Seeds, Sunflower Seeds, Maple Syrup (11.2%), Ginger (1.2%), Salt, Orange Peel Powder (0.7%). A 30g satchel would provide you with 169kcals, 14.2g of fat of which1.7g are saturates, 5.3g of carbohydrates of which 2.8g are sugars, 1.9g of fiber, 4.8g of protein and 0.21g of salt. It’s a high fat snack but that’s due to the seed and nuts contained.

You can buy this snack from Ocado for £2.20. An expensive seed snack but if you like the taste it might be worth it. SCORE = 8/10

 

The New Protein Ball CO. Vegan Protein Balls

I must admit this is the first snack I reached for when I opened this month’s Wellthos box. It is essentially little balls that have a peanut butter and jam taste.

The balls are soft enough and easy to eat. They are not so dry that they are unpleasant to eat alone. They tasted nice and even though I’m not a peanut butter and jam fan, I thought that the taste was good.

This snack is gluten free, contains no dairy or soy, is all natural, vegan, wheat free, contains no GMOs and no added sugar.

This pack of 6 protein balls would provide you with 175kcals, 7.1g of fat of which 1.3g are saturates, 21.1g of carbohydrates of which 18.2g are natural sugars, 1.9g of fiber, 6.7g of protein and 0.2g of salt. Depending on what your fitness and nutrition plan is, I’d generally say that the protein content is low however, it is higher than other energy snacks which is essentially what this is.

The packaging is just a standard bag with a simple design and branding. The purple colour is not typical of a healthy or energy snack but it stands out and it works.

You can buy these from the brand’s website for £17.99 for 10 bags which brings it to £1.80 per pack or £0.3 per ball. It’s not a cheap snack but it is neither out of the energy/protein snack price range. SCORE = 8/10

 

Lily Pop Popped Water Lily Seeds

I’m starting to feel quite bored of the whole “eat healthy eat seeds” theme. The Wellthos box seems to be including way too many nut/seed products, not just this month, and the healthy eating industry really needs to find more snacks! What if you don’t like seeds or nuts or worse you are allergic?

Anyhow, this is at least a slightly less conventional seed snack as it is made of popped waterlily seeds and dusted with salt, pepper and a dash of tumeric. It is gluten free and vegan friendly.

This 25g satchel comes in a typical healthy snack paper bag and although it can be resealed, the Chef’s advice at the back suggests that once opened this snack should be consumed asap. I’m not sure whether this is a play on “this is very tasty and it will disappear” or if you really can’t store them once opened!

This 25g bag would provide you with 96.3kcals, 1g of fat of which 0.2g are saturates, 19.2g of carbohydrates of which 0g are sugars, 0.1g of fiber, 2.2g of protein and 0.23g of salt. It is essentially an energy snack.

If you like tumeric you will love these. They look like popcorn but have a much more airy texture and feel to them. They taste nice and they are a reasonable in-between meals snack. You could also have these instead of popcorn while watching a movie!

Judging from the expiry date, a bag lasts for about 1-2 months which is not a lot.

You can find these on the brand’s website for £3.5 per pack although it doesn’t mention how large the pack is. If it is £3.50 for a 25g pack then this snack is way too expensive and this company is not the only one producing popped waterlily seeds. SCORE = 8/10

 

Water Works Cactus Water

I’m really not sure why I would ever think that I need to drink cactus water, to me this is the type of “health” item that is just here for the hype. Nevertheless, this cactus water is 100% natural and it might be a good idea for those who find drinking plain water a little boring.

In 100mL of this drink you will find 15kcals (49.5kcals for the 330mL bottle) 0g of fat, 3.6g of carbohydrates (11.8g for the bottle) of which 3.3g are sugars, 0g of protein and 0g of salt. It’s definitely more calorific than plain water so be aware of how much of this you consume if you do drink it instead of water. The calories can easily add up!

The liquid has yellow-brown appearance which admittedly is not very appetizing and it smells like a sour fruit mix like over ripe apples or pears. It also tastes like soured apples or pears which I personally didn’t like.

The packaging is a typical carton bottle of standard quality and the branding and design look the part. This definitely looks like a cactus related product which is good. Despite not liking the taste, I also don’t see the major benefits of drinking this over water for example, and packing in unnecessary calories and carbohydrates. This is the type of “dangerous/hidden calories” product that people would use a lot of and not think that it would add to their daily calorie intake. SCORE = 7/10

 

Nine Peanut Seed Bar

This is literally a seed bar where lots of seeds are “glued” together to form a bar and it has a nice sweet but not overpowering peanut taste which you will likely enjoy even if you are not the biggest peanut butter fan.

It is gluten and wheat free, high in fiber, vegan friendly and does not contain any artificial colours or preservatives.

One 40g bar will provide you with 220kcals, 16.8g of fat of which 3.1g are saturates, 8.4g of carbohydrates of which 6g are sugars, 3.2g of fiber, 7.9g of protein, 0.26g of salt and 100mg of magnesium. This bar is definitely high in calories and fat but that is due to the seeds and nuts contained. It’s a healthy fat which is often needed but of course don’t eat this bar, or a lot of nuts, too often.

The packaging is made of matte paper and even though the colours are not typical of snack bars, it looks nice and stands out.

The bar tastes really nice and retails for £0.99 form Holland & Barrette. It’s a good price for a quick 220kcal energy boost. If you want to include seeds and nuts in your diet but find eating them plain on their own a little boring, then this might be a good option for you. SCORE = 9/10

 

Overall, this month’s box was good but I felt that it was a little too heavy on nut/seed snacks which is almost becoming a typical thing for Wellthos. I thoroughly enjoyed trying out all the products but I hope the box is a little more balanced next month. 

Initial box score, in terms of products and first feelings = 7/10

Overall box score after product testing (a sum of product scores) = 8/10

Star product = Nine Peanut Seed Bar

 

Did you get this month’s Wellthos? What did your box contain? What did you think of the products? Have you tried any of the products listed? Let me know your experiences!

For a general  review on Health and Fitness Boxes click here otherwise for a general review on Wellthos click here.

I am not affiliated with any company or brand. These are my views and experiences.

 

 

This article is from www.bonds-of-beauty.com. Click below to find me on:

Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Bloglovin, Blogorama, WordPress and Influenster.